Chapter 31: Live On Then, Who Could Possibly Outlive You

Jiang Nian's eyelid twitched, and he abruptly turned his head to look at her.

"Why are you looking at me?" Xu Qianqian frowned. "Did you go dumb? The light's red and you're still not moving, or did you get a hit? It's fine, you'll get used to it next time."

His expression was odd; he just dragged out a long "oh," which made Xu Qianqian's teeth itch.

Oh oh oh, oh your head!

One more "oh" and I'll kick you! A size-36 shoe stomping on your size-42 face!

The little scooter started off again, and Jiang Nian asked, a little curious.

"Unhappy, and you still came out to watch a movie with me."

"I don't like playing with idiots, but if it's you, my friend." Xu Qianqian played on her phone in the back seat. "Even if you're a moron, I'll still play with you."

Jiang Nian sneered. What a tsundere little brat.

Beep beep.

The electric scooter stopped downstairs, and the two of them walked up step by step. A crisp snap of fingers, and the orange voice-activated stair lights cast their shadows on the wall.

Before parting at the door, Jiang Nian suddenly said something to her.

"Bite lighter next time."

Xu Qianqian's hand on the door froze as if paused on a single frame, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints in an instant. Almost in a flash, her whole body grew hot and her heart thumped.

When she turned her head, the opposite door had already closed.

Xu Qianqian dawdled by the shoe cabinet at the door for quite a while before returning to normal. The living room was empty, the lights in her father's room already off—she was long used to it.

Her mother had passed away years ago, and the house was still cold and quiet.

Most of the time she was home alone, and the packed high school life made her pour all her energy into studying, so gradually she couldn't even feel the loneliness.

The last time she dreamed of her mother was probably about a year ago.

After coming back from Jiang Nian's place from the New Year's Eve dinner, she stood alone on the dim balcony. Wearing thin clothes, she watched the building next door bright with lights and full of family joy, standing there for a whole hour.

In the latter half of the night, she really did come down with a fever.

In her groggy haze, she felt a pair of hands touch her forehead. Her mother sat by the bed, her brows and eyes gentle, holding her hand and asking why she hadn't taken her medicine.

She tried to speak but couldn't, just crying nonstop. She only wanted to tell her mother that she hadn't been doing well these years, not well at all every year.

When the dream woke, she still hadn't been able to speak.

Time had diluted everything; now she rarely thought of her mother. When she did think of her, it was happy things, and she felt this was a good sign—a person can't keep crying forever.

In the bathroom, she took a hot shower.

After washing up, Xu Qianqian flipped open a test paper and looked at it for a while, doing seven or eight problems before gradually feeling sleepy. She got up to use the bathroom, came back and pulled her bedroom door shut, clicked off the light with a snap.

Lying in bed, Xu Qianqian closed her eyes, ready to drift into dreamland.

One hour later.

In the pitch-black room, Xu Qianqian suddenly sat bolt upright in bed.

"No way! Is he out of his mind?!"

"Aaaaaah!!!!" Xu Qianqian hugged the blanket and rolled around on the bed, grinding her silver teeth. "Jiang Nian!! I'll kill you tomorrow, go die!"

Suddenly, she stopped rolling, froze on the bed hugging the blanket, eyes wide as she replayed the scene from that moment.

Her mind had gone blank then, and she'd bitten his lower lip on instinct. Even though she let go after 0.01 seconds, that staff member's laugh was branded into her heart like a red-hot iron.

Crazy!! They're all crazy!!

Before, just holding hands got you a 25%-off ticket—who told you to upgrade the event! Who wants your lousy extra 10% off!! I'll smash you all to bits!

She was crazy too, somehow agreeing in a trance.

After a long while, Xu Qianqian collapsed on the bed, sprawled out asleep. Staring at the pitch-black ceiling, her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, still unable to calm down.

Wrapped in the blanket and lying on her side, Xu Qianqian suddenly felt a bit of regret.

Why didn't she buy gum.

Suddenly buying that stuff would be weird, right—a guy and a girl buying gum. In the convenience store clerk's eyes, probably about the same as buying a box of condoms in plain view of everyone.

Was a boy's scent like that? A little warm, and a little addictive.

"But... why did it have to be Jiang Nian!"

She punched the pink plushie, again and again. "Jiang Nian is such a jerk, walking on the road he'd even split an earthworm in half, why!! Why him!"

With forty-seven thousand extra in his card and his net worth soaring by thirty thousand, Jiang Nian was in a great mood and deliberately got up early.

If fate held one tribulation, he hoped it would be Bao Chijie.

Humming a tune as he went downstairs to buy breakfast, Jiang Nian deliberately left two portions at Xu Qianqian's door. Thanks to Qianqian the big baby, he'd earned a killing thirty thousand—picking up money, basically.

As for the system, Jiang Nian really hadn't thought much about it.

Live it up, who could possibly outlive himself? Being young and rich is what brings happiness. Who'd still risk their life once they had money? Lean on the system to reach the peak of life?

Forget it. For him, the system was just a gacha game. Who knew whether tomorrow or an accident would come first—enjoy every second of comfort while you can.

Haven't tasted the bitterness of "Old Jiang" yet, but already enjoying the blessings of "Old Jiang."

Forty-seven thousand might only be just enough to solve the immediate pinch for thirty-eight-year-old Old Jiang Nian. But for eighteen-year-old Jiang Nian, he couldn't spend it all—couldn't spend it at all.

Bitterness first doesn't guarantee sweetness, but sweetness first is real, tangible sweetness—the smart enjoy the world first.

Morning: leg day at the gym, Zhao-jie wasn't there.

Afternoon: squat at home.

The next day, he simply couldn't get up, his legs sore as hell.

After calming down for a day or two, Xu Qianqian seemed no different from usual. Standing at the door she gave him a curious glance, a look of contempt for a weakling on her face.

"Ah, that's it? Can you even do it, Jiang Nian?"

"What do you know, stop making snide comments." Jiang Nian carefully stood up and said solemnly, "This is an investment in the future—skip leg day and you're just raising your stomach."

Xu Qianqian leaned against the doorframe of his room, seemed to think of something, and after confirming no one was home, gave a mysterious smile.

"You know that if you train your legs too much, you'll start to feel like..."

Jiang Nian's face changed drastically. "You're monitoring me?"

"Pfft, as if anyone cares." Xu Qianqian tossed her head, went home to do her test papers, and at the end turned back to say, "Let me remind a certain someone — there's evening self-study tonight."

Evening.

At Zhennan Middle School, a sparse stream of students returned to campus for evening self-study.

A small portion of students were absent from the first evening self-study after the three-day mini holiday — some on leave, some simply skipping. Jiang Nian was not among them.

A brightly lit classroom, Competition Class Four, during the break between first and second period of evening self-study.

He glanced up — roughly ten-odd students in the class hadn't shown up. Some were stuck on the rural bus route, some had taken sick leave, others were still traveling and hadn't returned.

Boarders made up a little over half the class, and the two groups mingled with each other. But on the whole, day students and day students still had more to talk about.

The break was bustling with chatter.

Zhang Ningzhi in the seat ahead kept turning back, casting an eager glance at Jiang Nian.

He had seen from her QQ Moments that Zhang Ningzhi had gone to Dali for travel during National Day, with only a smattering of likes. Probably not many friends could see it, and he happened to fall within that range.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Nian decided to give her a bit of attention.